The plot sounds quite unique and, well, appropriate. Santa's Christmas pud has been spiked by those pesky pixies, so he has to go lie down in a darkened room for a bit. For the sake of the world's children, who will be quite upset to find their stockings empty on Christmas day, it's up to you now to don Santa's garb, grab his hefty bag of presents, and off you go toward the chimneys of the world...

There are three levels to get through before you can congratulate yourself on a job well done. First up is Lapland; home to Santa, containing a few Lapps, loads of reindeer, a few fish and not much else. You've got to pick up the sleigh and get all those lovely gifts delivered, while dealing with annoying pixies that throw toy trains and trumpets at you. Whilst flying over the Atlantic, you will meet up with a few scientists who don't believe that Santa exists, they think you're some sort of alien, so you'll have to avoid their death-dealing rays. During these two levels you can collect all the little Santas and glasses of wine that fly past you-- these are the presents which you can use to drop down the chimneys in the third and final level.

Despite the fun plot and bright VGA graphics, Santa Xmas Caper is severely lacking in gameplay. Your sled moves jerkily up and down across the screen, enemies are few and far between, and in addition to awkward controls, the game is far too easy. I reached the end of the second level on my first go, and finished the game soon after that. Overall, Santa's Xmas Caper is just pure festive kitsch-- something that's entertaining for as long as an average Christmas carol lasts: less than 3 minutes. Might be suitable for young children due to subject matter and very easy gameplay, but the rest of us would be better off elsewhere.

Note: Eutechnyx Ltd., current copyright holder of Merit Studios, Junkyard Studios, and Zeppelin Games, has requested that we remove their games from download. Please contact the company directly if you would like to obtain this game.